Ode to February

Wherein we said goodbye to our dear Morty.  Had to get radon remediation done after testing high in the living area.  Watched a breathtaking sunset.  An ethereal low fog appeared above the farm during my morning commute.  Had a bizarre warm snap of nearly 80º and some trees flowered.  Had the joy of passing down one of my favorite cool and comfy chairs to an original Mighty Girl because I don't like to keep things that I don't use regularly.  There was an incident in our neighborhood where several teens broke into the neighborhood, then broke into 3 homes where they threw an overnight party and did much damage, several arrests were made.  And another "life in rural VA" moment:  my friend J rushed to assist a man who seized in a local Walmart and as he was being transported another man threw a tub of icing at her head because she was blocking the aisle. 

A sense of hope finally emerges, as I have found the practice I want to pant roots in, and talks are under way to grow into a new role there.  I will be starting my CEs next month to foster that path. 

We had 77º weather followed by snow flurries.  We made rice bowls.

And in keeping it real: the pandemic is NOT over, with addition of an alarming bird flu crossing over to mammals thereby killing sea lions et al.  Massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria.  A train derailment spilling toxic chemicals.  And this month marks one year since Russia began bombing it Ukraine.  Just saying.

 

Morty 2005 - 2023

Today, I was forced to make a difficult decision.

As you may know, Morty began losing weight rapidly, yet his check up last month left the vet scratching her head. His TFT and Renal Functions were good. She said I was "doing a great job of caring for a very sick cat" and she still can't believe he's lived this long with all his issues (Cardiomyopathy, Thyroid Disease, Kidney Disease and mini seizures). She said that due to his age (18) and all his issues, there was no point in putting him through invasive testing and to just keep on doing what I'm doing until something changes.

Well upon waking in the predawn hours this morning, I noticed that something did change. Drastically. His behavior was off. I took the day off and called the vet as soon as they opened. They said they would call me as soon as they could squeeze him in. That was at 2pm today.

The vet examined him and felt what she believed was a mass in his abdomen. She said that it would explain the sudden drastic weight loss, and other changes I had noted at his last visit. She said she truly felt that the right thing to do this point was to euthanize, because he will continue to get worse and he was no longer doing well.

Even though I know it was the most humane thing to do, it still breaks my heart. And I keep reminding myself that it's not another shoe drop, it's just life. And I'm grateful that Morty kicked ass for as long as he did because I know my son couldn't have handled another loss so soon after losing his dad. Not that it makes it any less painful, but I'm grateful that we had some time to heal before saying goodbye to another family member, albeit a floofy one.

For those who don't know, we adopted Morty 10 years ago along with his two senior housemates. Their owner died and apparently the shelter would not take them due to their older ages, so we took them. Morty was the youngest of the three, then 8 years old.

Morty was a true curmudgeon, though softened some over the years because we loved him hard. He wasn't good at catting...didn't care much for toys, and would spit out his cat treats. He rejected nearly every cat bed I ever bought him and preferred sleeping in the most uncomfortable places. He was not a fan of cuddling, but would allow us to pet him to a point. His favorite pastime was sitting on the deck and watch the neighbors through the railings. We used to pretend that he was yelling at kids to get off his lawn. In his old age, he would snuggle up to us and would actually tap us with his paw because he wanted to be petted. He would like to sit between my son and me on the couch. For this reason we would sometimes call him "Morty in the Middle".

He had other nicknames too:
Mortuccio
the tooch
Mortucci Bondaducci

(to name a few)

His cuteness was in direct proportion to his attitude. We are heartbroken.  We loved him and will miss him dearly.

More recently, and so very thin :(

Basket o' Morty

Snuggling hammock stand.

How is this comfortable?

Morty in the Middle

 

Ode to January

Wherein we breathe and begin anew.  We took our first hike of the year - short trail that overlooks Page Valley.  We enjoyed some beautiful sunsets and sunrises.  I am enjoying my new role and for the first time in a long time, I have a sense of hope about what the future might hold - a vision I did not see coming when I accepted this position.  Received good news in that the issue with my eye is progressing very slowly and the retina is stable.  Russia is still bombing Ukraine.  Covid is NOT over.

Wish on more things
Rilke's spell for living through difficult times

Starfish on the sea floor by Photographer Perrin James

2023: Year of the Water Rabbit

A gentle wave of calm...

NO REGRETS

 

Ten Percent Happier Podcast and on apple

The Tools

7 Day Happiness Challenge

NYT Best Advice You've Ever Been Given

• Things don't have to be perfect to be wonderful.
• PAUSE in stressful moments and take a breath
• Everyone is going through something
• Thoughts and feelings are like traffic
  
  

Sleep - Adults 7-9 hours

Water intake by wt - (1 - 2 liters )

Morning Routines / Happy, Healthy, Productive

• exercise / energy
• meditation / stillness
• productivity 
• learning
• plan your day
• evening wind down
  
  

Questions to ask myself:

• What do I need right now?
• Does it light me up?
  
•  “Will this still be an issue in one week or in one month?”
  *If the answer is no, it’s a small problem so let the stress go and move on.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Fairwell 2022, Welcome 2023

Good tidings, 2023:  Please be gentle and joyous!

• We explored Luray Caverns
• We drove to Reston to see a friend's HS play
•  Voted by mail
• Celebrated my birthday at the WV Fairy Festival
• Wandered Luckett's Spring Fling
• Slaughtered Spotted Lantern Flies
  
• Accepted a new position and transferred
• Had a visit from a tree frog
• Picnicked in the orchard
• Adopted a kitten
• Found the famous Vegetarian Grilled Cheese food truck
• Went to the Peach Festival
• Explored another section of Shenandoah River
• Enjoyed the Firefly Festival
• Went to an Astronomy Event
• Watched a hot air balloon drift over our hood
• A family of Martins moved into the birdhouse
• My Spanish Moss BLOOMED!
• We got our boosters
• A Robin built a nest below deck
• Replaced our car engine
• Watched the lunar eclipse
• Celebrated his 17th
• Had a sunset picnic followed by a full moon hike
• Saw a meteor shower
• Made poles for string lights on our deck
  
• Discovered we have 2 species of Mantids in our garden 
• Watched many sunsets
• Visited the mountain vistas
• Explored country roads
• Read a lot of poetry
• Gardened
  
• Had my first infusion of Reclast
• Made lots of comfort food